Truss-braced tree.



PATENTED MAR. 3l, 1908.

B.' FyPINSON, JB. vTRUSS BRAGED TREELH APPLICATION FILED11.111.21.190?.-

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BENJAMIN F. PINSON, JR., OF SKIATOOK, OKLAHOMA.

,i TRUss-Bnncnn TREE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 31, 1908.`

Application filed March 21, 1907. Serial No. 363,788.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that 1, VllENJAMIN F. PrNsoN, Jr., a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Skiatook, Oklahoma, have invented new and usefulTruss-Braced Trees, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to trees used in draft appliances andusually termed doubletrees, and swingletrees or whiflletrees.

The object is to provide such trees with strengthening truss rods andother improvementsin connection therewith. 'This and other objects areattained by the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustratedin the accompanying drawing, in whic Figure 1 is a perspective view of adraft pole or tongue with the improved trees applied thereto. Fig. 2 isa vertical section about centrally along the pole in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is atransverse section of Fig. 1 on the line c a of Fig. 2, with asimplifying modication. Fig. 4 is a top view and Fig. 5 is a rearelevation of one of the whiffletrees in Fig. 1.

y Referring to the drawing by reference numerals, 1 designates a draftpole or tongue of a vehicle adapted to be drawn by two horses, onehitched at each side of the pole.

To the upper and lower sides of the ole are secured by bolts 2 twoconical hoI low trunnions 3, through which passes 'a bolt 4, which isreinforced by an upper brace 5 and a lower brace 6, through the frontends of which the bolt is passed while the rear ends are secured by abolt 7 to the pole and to its reinforcing metallic strips 8. Between thebraces 5 and 6 and their adjacent trunnions are centrally fulcrumed onthe bolt l the upper and lower arched metallic strips 9 and 10, of whichthe double tree is coinposed. Said strips having their ends securedtogether by bolts 11, on which the whiffletrees or swingletrees 12 arepivoted between the ends of said strips.

The strips 9 and 10 are preferably made of steel, and are arched fromeach other so as to brace onev another against a vertical strain. Eachstrip has riveted or otherwise secured at its middle a reinforcing plate13, with a central bearing 14 fitting over the cones 3, as is best shownin Fig. 3, where the invention is illustrated in asimplified formwithout truss-bracing, but in Figs. 1 and 2, the double-tree is providedat its rear side with a truss-brace or rod 15, having its ends securedon the bolts 11 and its middle por: tion held rearwardly and downwardlyby a stud or arm 16 of aconvexo-concave cone 17, interposed between thecone 3 and bearing 14, above the pole, and when thus placed the downwardcurvature of the arm 16 helps to bring the truss-rod vertically to themiddle of the tree, and also to hold it below the inner ends of theswingletrees without distorting the rod out of alinement to anyconsiderable extent. also be placed. below the pole, in which event thearm 16 may be straight.

The swingle trees 12 may be made of wood or of iron or steel, but in thepreferable form shown they are made on the same principle as the doubletree, of two arched metal strips 18, 18a, a truss brace or rod 19secured to both ends of the tree and supported in a rearwardly bridgingposition by a stud 20, projecting from a block 21 secured between themiddle portions of the strips, where it also serves to hold the stripsspread g the outer ends of the strips are secured together and providedwith Whiffletree hooks 22 of any form preferred.

From the above description it will be understood that, as theswingle-trees are pivoted between the ends of the double stripdouble-tree, they lie substantially in the same horizontal plane withthe tongue and thus pull in said plane without any tendency to force thetongue up or down, which is one of the advantages gained by theconstruction. Another advan't age is that the upper strip of thedouble-tree guards the inner ends of the swingle trees fromgettingcaught by the reins. Also that as the strips S extend to the veryrear end of the tongue, the pulling strain or draft falls on themetallic parts and not on the Wooden part of the tongue back of the boltLl. The conic shape of the trunnions prevents rattling and providesgreater wearing surface and makes the parts practically self-adjustablewhen they wear, except that possibly the small surface at the very endof each cone may have to be touched off with a file once in a greatwhile, if the sides of the cone should wear faster than the end of it.The device as an entirety possesses strength, steadiness and durabilitywithout involving objectionable weight or unsightly appearances to thevehicle.

Having thus described my invention, What l claim is:-

1. A draft appliance comprising a tongue,

But the cone 17 may v bolts two hollow trunnions secured one to theunder side of the tongue and the other opposite thereof to the upperside, a doubletree composed of an upper and a lower metal strip, eachhaving at its middle a reinforcing piece with a bearing fitting one oneach of the trunnions, the ends of the strips at each side of the tonguebeing converged together, passed through the converging ends,swingletrees pivoted on said bolts, and a pivot bolt passed through thetrunnions, the tongue and the strips.

2. A draft appliance comprising a tongue, two hollow trunnions securedone to the under side of the tongue and the other opposite thereof tothe upper side, a doubletree composed of an upper and a lower metalstrip, each having at its middle a reinforcing piece with a bearingfitting one on each of the trunnions, the ends of the strips at eachside of the tongue being converged together, bolts passed through theconverging ends, swingletrees pivoted on said bolts, and a pivot boltpassed through the trunnions, the tongue and the strips, and bracesextending rear- @sagem wardly from near the ends of the pivot bolt tothe tongue.

3. A draft appliance comprising a tongue, two hollow trunnions securedone to the under side of the tongue and the other opposite thereof tothe upper side, a doubletree composed of an upper and a lower metalstrip, each having at its middle areinforcing piece with a bearingfitting one on each of the trunnions, the ends of the strips at eachside of the tongue being converged together, bolts passed through theconverging ends, swingletrees pivoted on said bolts and a pivot boltpassed through the trunnions, the -Y tongue and the strips, bracesextending rearwardly from near the ends of the pivot bolt to the tongue,and metallic strips joined to said braces and extending to the rear endof the tongue.

In testimony whereof l aflix my in presence oftwo witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. PINSON, JR. Witnesses:

T. F. MCVAY, J. F. OLLER.

signature,

